How Dongtan in South Korea turned into an online punching bag

The Star

a day ago

SEOUL: While a fitted knit or cotton dress may be seen as everyday wear in most places, in South Korea, it has come to symbolise one particular neighbourhood: Dongtan.
Nicknamed the 'Dongtan look,' this casual yet sensual style is frequently linked to women in their 30s and 40s living in the fast-growing suburban area south of Seoul known for its corporate hubs and high proportion of young married couples.
What began as an internet joke has recently sparked social controversy, as some online marketplaces here and in Japan are selling figurines named after the district, portraying women in overtly sexualised dresses that accentuate their curves and cleavage.
"This isn't just about a meme anymore. It's blatant discrimination based on region and gender. A lot of foreigners live in Dongtan, and it's embarrassing to see the area tied to such a sexualised image," one user wrote in a post on Naver Blog.
There is also a male-centered meme for young married men in Dongtan -- 'Ppongppong-nam' which is a satirical Korean term that combines the name of a well-known local dish soap brand with the Korean word for man.
The expression, which has gained popularity across online forums and social media, has been used to mock Dongtan husbands in single-income households who are perceived as submissive to their stay-at-home wives.
They are often depicted doing chores like washing dishes and cleaning, while their spouses take the lead in family matters.
High-rise apartment buildings surround Dongtan Lake Park, an artificial lake in the planned new residential town of Dongtan, located in the city of Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. - Photo: Courtesy of Hwaseong City
Jealousy turned into hatred?
Dongtan, a planned urban district about 40 kilometers south of Seoul, has experienced rapid population growth since its development in the early 2000s, driven by the construction of major corporate facilities by firms such as Samsung and Hyundai Motor.
The youthful district -- with its population averaging 35 years old as of last year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety -- is home to many high-income parents with children, shaping a community driven by a strong zeal for education.
Although Dongtan falls under the administrative jurisdiction of Hwaseong, its residents often see themselves not as citizens of Hwaseong, but as citizens of a de facto city of their own.
Regarding the online memes disparaging their neighborhood, some Dongtan residents say they are the distorted expressions of outsiders' aspirations.
Ahn, a working mom in her 40s who has lived in Dongtan for seven years, believes that the Dongtan dress meme reflects 'jealousy' toward Dongtan mothers who can afford both the time and money to maintain their appearance.
'Honestly, it's not easy to wear a tight dress like that when you're taking care of kids. You've really got to stay in shape.
"A lot of moms in Dongtan can manage that. They have both the time and money to take care of themselves, whether it's working out or getting facial treatments,' she told The Korea Herald.
'I think some people are just envious of the moms here, so they make fun of them online. It's not like anyone can just wear a dress like that.'
Kong, 34, a middle school teacher in Dongtan who interacts frequently with local parents, partly agreed with Ahn's view that the memes may be rooted in jealousy, noting that people in Dongtan, on average, have relatively high incomes.
Some argue that while Dongtan memes may appear to target women and men separately, they are more likely directed at parents as a whole, often spread by those who have had negative experiences with the area's tight-knit parenting culture.
"There are a lot of newly built, brand-name apartment complexes here. Each complex usually has its own group chat where parents come together to organize events and quickly share information on parenting and education.
"Even the kids tend to remember each other's apartment names and form groups based on that,' said an English teacher surnamed Kong who has taught at a middle school in Dongtan for the past eight years.
"Some parents form cliques based on economic status, but they're not the majority. It's just a small number of people who have made Dongtan look bad, and that kind of reputation spread through memes," she added.
How spaces shape cliquishness
Describing Dongtan as a 'gated community,' Kim Jina, a research associate professor of the College of Liberal Studies at Seoul National University and an expert in anthropology and landscape architecture, explained that planned areas like Dongtan are structurally designed to create a sense of cliquishness, which often leads to feelings of alienation among outsiders.
"Dongtan is structured around large brand-name apartment complexes with high walls and security systems that keep them separate from the outside.
"This setup makes residents feel safe and gives them a sense of belonging, while also creating communities of people with similar backgrounds," Kim said.
She also pointed out that Dongtan's homogeneous commercial landscape, including large shopping malls, cafe streets and clusters of private academies, encourages residents to develop similar spending patterns, further reinforcing its cliquishness.
Living and spending in such similarly structured spaces naturally fosters shared lifestyles and creates the impression that the community is difficult for outsiders to enter, she added.
'In planned cities that lack historical or cultural roots, people tend to express identity through lifestyle and consumption. This is often portrayed in misleading ways online.'
Kim analysed the Dongtan memes as an indication of a shift in Korean regionalism, from stereotypes linked to one's birthplace to class distinctions based on current residential areas that function as markers of socioeconomic status.
Widely used distinctions such as Gangnam and Gangbuk, old city centers and new towns, and apartment and non-apartment housing often imply class differences. Memes about Dongtan are seen as an extension of these region-based social divisions, according to Kim.
'Online memes often target areas like Dongtan or Seoul's famous Daechidong in Gangnam District, where the cost of living creates a significant barrier to entry. To those unable to afford to live in such areas, online memes provide a way to express frustration behind the mask of anonymity.'
She warned of the negative psychological effects that online memes targeting certain regions may place on their residents.
"Social stigma fuelled by region-based memes often leaves residents feeling the need to defend themselves, which can weaken their emotional attachment to the community. In some cases, people may begin to conform to the stereotypes, or react in exaggerated ways to reject them," she said. - The Korea Herald/ANN